


The Ending's Coda

by mechanical_moira



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Aftermath, Character Interaction, Character Moment, Established Relationship, Happy Ending, Male-Female Friendship, Recovery, post story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-11 20:06:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18431162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mechanical_moira/pseuds/mechanical_moira
Summary: What happened at the end of the end? A small scene that very briefly dips into the emotions that surround Magnus and Lucretia post "Story and Song". A guilt ridden Lucretia, unsure of what to think or feel now that is all over, is found by Magnus.Spoilers for The Adventure Zone: Balance





	The Ending's Coda

The world was hurt, deep scars lined her land, and smouldering pits cut into her earth. But, in time, she would heal. The would would be made new again, and the the people would make it whole again. With the “Story and song” in their hearts, they knew it was possible.  
High above the world, in the false moon, the people of the Bureau of Balance gathered on the lawns, embracing, talking, loving. Much like the earth bellow them, the grounds of the Bureau where scattered with remains of the domes, some caved in, others burnt but whole. The largest wreck was the Fantasy Costco. Though surprisingly, no one seemed to really be bothered by this. The empty building was little more than a crushed shell now, the broken letters hidden under rubble.  
Carey and Killian gardened a great crowed around them as they talked excitedly with their onlookers, though perhaps a little tenderly from their wounds. Angus the boy detective, sharp as a tack and twice as a bright, bandaged, and bruised laughed with Meerle, who was currently pressing an ice pack to his bruised forehead. Taako and Kravitz, walked around the crowds, the two of them enjoying a quiet but tender moment, able to enjoy their new found company without having to worry about a mystery to be solved, or the approaching apocalypse. As the walked Taako spied Lup, well her spectral form anyway. Lost for so long, he was filled with happiness to her see again. Her skeletal form wrapped in the ghostly remains of a red robe hugged Barry. As they passed Lup waved, her transparent skeletal fingers catching the light as they did. She chuckled as she returned to holding Barry, holding on tight to the man she almost thought she lost for good. 

Magnus sat on the stairs to the main building, his body felt strange. Technically his second one. This was a somewhat disorientating feeling, he looked down at his pinky, the one that he had lost in wonderland. Flexing it he gave a smile. And then he touched his face. His scar. Something he never really had the time to consider, his scar was missing. It was perhaps the oddest thing. A feature that everyone knew him for, and he had become so used to. It was now gone. But perhaps that was something that the Magnus in the past would have cherished. Not him, not now. As he looked up over the crowd, he could see everyone pairing off into groups and talking. 

Almost everyone...

Magus looked over the ground, he didn't see her. Turning to look on his right, there was the battered silver hull of the Starblaster. His home for a hundred years. Looking up at the night sky, Magnus remembered when it was a vibrant purple. A place long ago.  
Using chance lance to pull himself up off the stairs, Magnus made his way to the ship, and up the quite stairs. As he did, the voices from the party began to face. The laughter and song melted into the distance as climbed the last step into the ship.  
Despite standing on the deck to do battle with “John”, Magnus never really had the chance to step inside and look around, to remember this place as home. To breath in this space. The airlock was still open, stepping through, he walked into the hold, a dry and dusty space, filled with creates and nothing much else. But there was a sound. So quiet he could have almost not heard it. Stepping further into the ship, he followed the soft sounds to their source.  
In the crew quarters, he could hear it more clearly now, gently, soft, sobs. Looking down the corridor he could see a streak of white wood. Lucretia's staff. Cast aside at the door to her room. Picking it up, Magnus gently pressed on the door to her room. There she was. Lying on her bed, back to the door. Slowly breathing, her shoulders rising and falling. Hands clutched at her shoulders. Her white hair spilling onto the pillow.  
Placing the staff against the wall, Magnus slowly approached. Lucretia turned with a start on his approach, her eyes soft, but wide with tears as she looked him in the eyes. Her face bore a terrible weight of shame. She tried to speak, but could only pull herself up into a ball on the bed. Looking down she cast her gaze to the floor, unable to meet Magnus.  
But he understood. He knew. After all this time he couldn't be cruel to her. Sitting down on the bed next to her, he placed a hand on her leg. It was a gesture of warmth, of kindness, something she needed more than anything.  
“Mangus...” She started her voice unsteady, “I'm sorry about Julia...”  
“It's okay.” Magnus said quietly as he looked off into the middle distance. “It's okay.”  
“No Magnus...it isn't.” She started to speak, “A-all I did...I wanted to fix things...but I couldn't. I just...I just wanted to make things better, to make things easier for you all and...”  
“You cared. Lucretia. What you did, you did it because you cared.”  
“I'm sorry...” She breathed again as she felt the tears well in her eyes. “I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...” Her voice became a faint breath as she repeated the words over and over.  
“We didn't have a choice.” Magus said, patting his hand gently on her leg. “You just wanted to help. You couldn't find a way out.”  
“But...” She said rolling over and sitting on the edge of the bed next to him, “There's always a way, I was so afraid, always so afraid...” Her voice was low as she clasped something in her hands. Hidden by her fingers.  
“We all made mistakes, but we found a way...you a way to save everyone, everyone ever.”  
Magnus felt Lucretia fall sideways and rest on his shoulder. She was so small now, smaller and older than he remembered her so long ago. It was as if those cycles caught up with her. Stolen years.  
Putting an arm around her shoulder he held her close. The two of them waited there in the silence, in the stillness of the room. There was something pure and simple about this moment.  
The silence was broken by a small sniff, Lucretia looked up at Magnus with her watery eyes.  
“You...you did good...Magnus.” She said at last. “I didn't...I didn't really...my plans...”  
“Hey,” Magnus patted her shoulder as he held her in a warm half embrace. “It wasn't perfect, but it was the best you could do.”  
The two of them both game small laughs as Lucretia opened up her hands. Nesting in her hands, lay a small, awkwardly carved wooden duck.  
Putting his hand over the top of it, Magnus fully embraced her, pulling her close to him in a moment of tenderness that he hadn't given someone in a very long time...

**Author's Note:**

> A somewhat awkward little fic. Maybe this will become part of a series of scenes between scenes? Who knows? If you like it, let me know! I would be excited to try more. It was a fun little thing to write, only 1100 words, so nothing too mind boggling to come up with. But it was the content of the scene that I was more excited to explore. Just these little sparks of character dynamic. Especially since we don't get much between Lucretia and Magnus on the whole throughout TAZ Balance.


End file.
